Re: [Harp-L] Problems with tongue articulation

[Michael Rubin <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>]

Eliza,
Every hole on every harmonica requires a slightly different embouchure (how
you hold your mouth) to sound nice.  Especially difficult are the low
notes.  It is like walking through mud, you need a  lot of muscle
strength.  The high notes, they are like skidding on ice, you need lots of
finesse.  Also difficult for most beginners are the draw notes holes 1
through 3, especially hole 2.

It sounds like you are suggesting only the blow notes sounds flat on holes
7 through 10.  You wonder why it doesn't on the blow notes from holes 1
through 6.  Bending means taking a note built into the harp and making it
lower in pitch, so yes, you are probably bending.  On a standard diatonic
harp, you bend on the draw notes from holes 1 through 6, you cannot bend on
the blow notes from holes 1 through 6.  You bend on the blow notes from 7
through 10, you cannot bend on the draw notes from 7 through 10.

That should explain why you are only experiencing this problem on the blow
notes from 7 through 10.

In the interest of completeness, there are some standard harps that will
bend a bit in the breath direction that they are not supposed to.
Sometimes these can produce real musical sounds.  It is best to think of
these as unusual and not expect every harp to do this.  Any theories as to
how this works, harp-l?

Suggestions for the blow notes:

1.  Use as small an opening as you can.  Kiss the harp like a canary.
2. Keep your cheeks stiff.
3.  Learn to U block.  In my opinion, it solves almost all high note
issues.  Do not worry if you cannot curl your tongue like a U.  Put the tip
of your tongue centered underneath the hole on the bottom cover plate.  As
you bend, roll your top front of your tongue to be pushed against the hole,
blocking more than half of the hole.  To tongue articulate, you the top of
your tongue, not the tip.  You will not be able to do super fast trumpet
like triplets ala Magic Dick.
4.  Practice on low pitch harps, like a G harp.

I hope this helps.
Michael Rubin
michaelrubinharmonica.com





On Tue, Apr 1, 2014 at 9:43 AM, Eliza Doolittle <eliza.doolittle@xxxxxxxx>wrote:

> I'm having some trouble learning to articulate notes correctly with my
> tongue. However, that's how I first started to play melodies with the harp
> (I'm only using the pucker embouchure so far). To me, saying 'ta-ta-ta-ta'
> seemed the most natural way to play a melody with notes with a definite
> beginning. This seemed to be all right, until I tried to play melodies in
> the high register. When I did so, they sounded terribly out of tune. After
> fiddling about for some time, I somehow -without being very conscious of
> how I did it- managed to get the notes in tune.
>
> Now that I've learnt a little more, I suspect that what I was doing was
> bending the notes down; not so much as to produce the right bent notes, but
> enough to bring the blown notes out of tune. For some reason, I don't
> notice it in the middle and low octaves.
>
> I have also realised that when I play these notes in tune it is not
> because I have solved the problem, but because I am using my diaphragm, not
> my tongue, to start  the notes. Therefore, I begin by using my diaphragm,
> take mental notes of how my mouth and lips are placed, and try to maintain
> that position, but at the moment I start ta-ta-ing, it's all over.
>
> I think that being conscious of the problem is part of the solution, but I
> don't seem to be able to get the other part. Since bending is achieved by
> raising the middle or back of one's tongue upwards, I try to concentrate on
> maintaining it flat. But it doesn't work. I've also noticed that when I
> play using my diaphragm, my cheeks move outwards and inwards, whereas they
> remain still when I try to use my tongue (I don't know whether this is
> relevant or not, but I thought mentioning it might help).
>
> Have you found this problem before, in yourselves or in a student? Can you
> give me any idea on how to get it sorted out? Thanks a lot in advance.
>
> Eliza Doolittle
>